A prominent psychiatrist, at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Paul R McHugh, claims that transgender individuals suffer from a form of mental illness and that Gender Reassignment is ‘biologically impossible’.

Dr. Paul R. McHugh, the former psychiatrist-in-chief for Johns Hopkins Hospital and its current Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry, said that transgenderism is a “mental disorder” that merits treatment, that sex change is “biologically impossible,” and that people who promote sexual reassignment surgery are collaborating with and promoting a mental disorder.

Dr. McHugh, the author of six books and at least 125 peer-reviewed medical articles, made his remarks in a recent commentary in the Wall Street Journal, where he explained that transgender surgery is not the solution for people who suffer a “disorder of ‘assumption’” – the notion that their maleness or femaleness is different than what nature assigned to them biologically.

He also reported on a new study showing that the suicide rate among transgendered people who had reassignment surgery is 20 times higher than the suicide rate among non-transgender people. Dr. McHugh further noted studies from Vanderbilt University and London’s Portman Clinic of children who had expressed transgender feelings but for whom, over time, 70%-80% “spontaneously lost those feelings.”

Dr. McHugh concludes his piece claiming that those who support gender reassignment support a mental disorder:

At the heart of the problem is confusion over the nature of the transgendered. “Sex change” is
biologically impossible. People who undergo sex-reassignment surgery do not change from men to
women or vice versa. Rather, they become feminized men or masculinized women. Claiming that this is
civil-rights matter and encouraging surgical intervention is in reality to collaborate with and promote a
mental disorder.

Sure to infuriate liberals even more, he believes that if you enter prison as a male, you should have to wait until out to have gender reassignment!

There are subgroups of the transgendered, and for none does “reassignment” seem apt. One group
includes male prisoners like Pvt. Bradley Manning http://topics.wsj.com/person/M/Bradley-Manning/
6200, the convicted national-security leaker who now wishes to be called Chelsea. Facing long
sentences and the rigors of a men’s prison, they have an obvious motive for wanting to change their
sex and hence their prison. Given that they committed their crimes as males, they should be punished
as such; after serving their time, they will be free to reconsider their gender.

The left, as one might expect, reacted swiftly with claws fully extended.

Think Progress described the American College of Pediatricians as a “hate group masquerading as pediatricians.”

The Huffington Post said,

“Once again, Paul McHugh has used the ever more tarnished name of Johns Hopkins to distort science and spread transphobic misinformation.”

The American College of Pediatricians issued a statement last week condemning gender reclassification in children by stating that transgenderism in children amounts to child abuse.

The stories have been rampant of parents treating their little boys as girls because they “thought they identified” that way.

Between you, me, and the fence-post. When I was in the second grade, I wanted to be Cindy from the Brady Bunch. Why? I have no clue! I do know that never in my teen or adult life have I identified as, or wanted to be a woman. My parents never knew. But if they had, and fostered that silly imaginary play, they could have well guided me into something worse. It is important to note that over half of the transgender population considers suicide!

I am sure that this is probably a very common occurrence for young children!